While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

This caused the wind element to begin to dissipate from his body, swirling around him like blue flames, making him look as if he were truly burning.

A stinging pain shot through my limbs and bones, like countless needles piercing my skin at once.

He could feel his blood vessels dilating, his muscles tearing, and his bones groaning under the strain.

But he can't stop.

Dvalin was right in front of him, his scarlet eyes filled with nothing but frenzied killing intent.

It opened its enormous mouth, and a blue light gathered deep within its throat as a huge wind bullet took shape inside.

Xu Chuan had no time to dodge, and the wind bullet came straight at him.

boom!

He manipulated the wind element to form a wind wall, which collided with the wind projectile.

Without pausing, he spun rapidly in the air, holding the Corrupted Sword horizontally in front of him to block Dvalin's sweeping giant claws.

The sword and the dragon claw collided again, sparks flying everywhere.

The force made his wrist go numb, and blood seeped from the base of his thumb.

But this time he wasn't thrown away. Wind elements condensed behind him into an invisible wall, holding him firmly in place.

Xu Chuan gritted his teeth, turned his sword, and cut into the gap of the dragon claw, leaving a deep wound on Tvalin's forearm.

Dragon blood gushed out, splashing all over his face.

The stench of blood, thick with the smell of rust, filled his senses.

Xu Chuan used the recoil to create distance, rolled twice in the air, and regained his balance.

Dvarin let out a painful roar, his injured forearm trembling slightly.

But the murderous intent in those scarlet eyes intensified.

"Damn it... Barbatos!"

Its voice was full of anger and resentment.

The melodious sound of the zither never stopped.

From the start of the battle until now, Wendy has been standing on the edge of the cliff, her fingers plucking the strings of her guitar.

The melody was unhurried, like the whisper of the wind from a thousand years ago, echoing in Dvalin's ears again and again.

Those memories suppressed by the abyss are returning little by little, surging in like a tide, crashing against the barriers erected by the abyss.

Tvalin was resisting, struggling, and desperately trying to forget.

Because it hurts too much to think about.

But Wendy doesn't give it a chance to escape.

Xu Chuan could sense that Dvalin's power was fluctuating. It wasn't weakening, but rather becoming chaotic.

The trajectories of those wind bullets became erratic, and the rhythm of those attacks became chaotic.

It began to get distracted, wavering between fighting and reminiscing.

This is an opportunity.

Xu Chuan gripped the sword hilt tightly, channeling all the power of the Heart of God into his legs.

Wind elements exploded beneath his feet, launching him like a cannonball.

Tvalin reacted and swung his giant claws across.

Xu Chuan passed under the claws.

The dragon claw grazed his back, tearing a long, bloody gash.

He groaned softly, but didn't stop.

Another blast came flying straight at us.

He turned to the side, and a gust of wind grazed his ribs, taking away a piece of flesh.

Nearly.

He could see the dark purple crystal on Dvalin's neck.

That was congealed poisonous blood at the wound site, cursed by the Abyss Order, and one of the sources that drove Dvalin mad.

He had destroyed the one on his back, leaving only this last one.

Tvalin realized his intention and began to twist his body wildly.

The gale gathered around it, forming a rotating barrier that kept Xu Chuan out.

The wind blades tore his clothes, leaving shallow bloodstains on his arms, shoulders, and chest.

Xu Chuan gritted his teeth and charged forward against the barrier.

The power of the Heart of the Wind God erupted at this moment.

Xu Chuan felt as if his body was being stretched open by something.

Wind element surged from his body, colliding head-on with Dvalin's wind barrier. The two forces tore and exploded in the air, producing a deafening roar.

Visible ripples of the shock wave spread out in all directions through the air.

The next moment, a crack appeared in the seemingly indestructible wind barrier.

Xu Chuan shot through the gap like a shooting star.

Tvalin tried to back away in terror, but it was too late.

With the blessing of wind elements and bathed in dragon blood, the decaying sword seemed to be reborn, emitting bursts of sword cries.

It was as if they were cheering for this moment to arrive, as if they were bringing this battle that spanned a thousand years to a close.

Xu Chuan brandished his sword.

click-

A crisp sound.

The crystallized poisonous blood shattered with a deafening roar, turning into purple dust that was instantly scattered by the gale.

Tvalin's body suddenly stiffened.

The bloodshot color in those eyes faded little by little.

Unfortunately, the abyss's influence on it still exists.

"fluorescent!"

Xu Chuan's voice cut through the storm and reached the girl's ears; the truly crucial moment was about to begin.

Since the battle with Xu Chuan, Dvalin's injuries have continued to accumulate, and even with the blessing of the Abyss, he is still unable to recover his full strength in the short term.

Not only Ying, but everyone in the Knights also realized what was happening.

The next moment, Tvalin was blasted by Xu Chuan to the beach below Star-Picking Cliff.

Chapter Forty: Spying in the Dark

boom!

Dvalin's enormous dragon body crashed down onto the beach below Star-Picking Cliff, splashing up a large spray of water.

The waves surged, sand and stones flew, and the entire beach trembled.

The wind dragon that once soared freely in the sky now lies quietly in the tide, the dark red patterns on its wing membranes still glowing faintly, but no longer the unsettling scarlet of before.

Wendy and Ying immediately sprang into action.

The fingers gently plucked the strings, and the melody became even softer than before, like a mother lulling her child to sleep, or like the wind whispering an ancient story.

As the music faded, Dvalin's body trembled slightly, and the madness in his eyes gradually subsided.

Ying stood on Dvalin's back, her hands pressed against the broken crystal of poisonous blood.

Golden light shone from her palm, surging into the wound like a tide, drawing out strands of the purplish-black power that lingered deep within the dragon's body.

Wendy looked at her old friend, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

Five hundred years ago, after a battle with the dragon Durin, he and Dvalin fell into a deep sleep.

He thought everything would pass, that time would heal all wounds.

He never imagined that Dvalin had endured five hundred years of suffering alone, his body corroded by the dragon's venomous blood into its current state.

"Just bear with it a little longer," Wendy said softly, her fingers moving steadily across the strings. "It'll be over soon."

The power of the Sky Harp flowed with the music, enveloping Dvalin in a soft azure light.

Those negative emotions amplified by the abyss slowly dissipated like the receding tide.

The purification effect of fire is immediate.

The purplish-black abyssal power emanated from the dragon's body, dissolving in the golden light and finally vanishing into nothingness.

That curse, which was like a bone-deep infection, is truly slowly dissipating.

On Star-Picking Cliff, the battle was nearing its end.

The monsters that poured out of the portal were no match for Yura, Abedo, and Diluc.

The group worked together seamlessly, dividing the battlefield into three sections, each of which was then cleared.

No monster could get past them.

The Ice Abyss Mage's staff was taken by Abedo, and he was currently being held down on the ground with a hand tightly gripping his neck.

Its small body was completely tied up, making it look round like a ball. After struggling for a few moments, it gave up.

All he could do was glare venomously at everyone with his eyes hidden behind the mask.

“It’s no use,” it shrieked, its tone full of arrogance. “All your efforts will be in vain unless you kill that dragon.”

"You naughty thing, behave yourself!" Paimon floated beside it, clenching its little fists and waving them angrily.

Even with only one-fifth the fighting strength of a wild boar, she can now teach this guy a lesson.

"The abyss will eventually engulf the throne of the gods!" The Ice Abyss Mage's voice grew even sharper. "Even gods cannot withstand that power, and you mortals..."

"Shut up." Diluc's grip tightened.

The sound stopped abruptly.

Abedo carefully put away the staff and looked at the purification taking place on the distant beach.

"I never imagined that it was the Abyss Cult that lured Dvalin into corruption."

A flash of coldness crossed Diluc's eyes as he looked down at the bound abyss mage.

"Before this, I thought it was the work of the Fools."

Qin walked over, her gaze sweeping over the monster remains scattered on the ground before settling on the round, chubby abyss mage.

“To be able to manipulate Dvalin without making a sound,” her voice was grave. “It seems the Abyss Order has been eyeing Mondstadt for a long time.”

Diluc continued, "The good news is that this guy seems to be acting alone, and no accomplices have shown up yet."

Qin nodded, feeling somewhat worried.

Yura sheathed her sword, her gaze sweeping across the beach and landing on the figure in the sky.

Xu Chuan was still suspended in mid-air.

The power of the Wind God's Heart was not concealed; the swirling wind elemental power around it still inspired awe.

He stood in the air, the wind elements beneath his feet gradually dissipating, but he showed no sign of falling.

He just stood there, staring at a certain direction on the sea.

Yura looked at the blood-soaked figure and suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

His exposed skin was covered in wounds, some cut by wind blades, some grazed by dragon claws, and others with blood seeping from inside his body.

That was the backlash of the heart of God against the flesh, more painful than any external injury.

He nearly lost his life fighting a swindler in Dragonspine Snow Mountain, but now he has defeated the Stormterror in a head-on battle.